


grin like a fool

by AutumnOcean



Category: Cheers (TV)
Genre: F/F, brought to you by: quarantine longing, cheers not letting them have more than 2-3 eps together before shelley left is my origin story tbh, tender hair curling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-12 14:20:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28636908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AutumnOcean/pseuds/AutumnOcean
Summary: This wasn’t, on principle, her favorite way to spend an afternoon - she’d much rather be checking in on her rats - but Diane had insisted on a ‘beauty day’. This usually involved hair curling, head suspended in a pocket of air saturated with the scent of the other woman’s perfume, surrendering to her mindful touches. So. Not so bad.
Relationships: Diane Chambers/Lilith Sternin
Comments: 3
Kudos: 15





	grin like a fool

**Author's Note:**

> hello again! i had some free time and thought this would be cool! i've 'shipped' diane x lilith for a couple years now and i was scared to write them (they're both so well written, how would i match canon?) but i figured a drabble would be cool, since this pairing is such a rarepair. enjoy!

“Ouch. Ah. Diane-”

“A little close to the root?”

Lilith cleared her throat. “Yes.”

“My apologies.” The pain receded, and she felt Diane carefully unspooling one strand of hair and then curling another around the thin curling iron. This wasn’t, on principle, her favorite way to spend an afternoon - she’d much rather be checking in on her rats - but Diane had insisted on a ‘beauty day’. This usually involved hair curling, head suspended in a pocket of air saturated with the scent of the other woman’s perfume, surrendering to her mindful touches. So. Not so bad.

Their conversation had been exhausted during tea (black) and cookies (Norwegian shortbread), although Diane had ushered her into the apartment with a string of profuse apologies. The tea was a bit too hot to drink right away, the cookies were dry, even for shortbread, the drapes would have to be closed as the sun shone into the living room window at an angle which would blind anyone. Lilith ate the cookies (perfect), drank the tea (perfect), and wistfully studied Diane’s dainty ankles, the left one adorned with a simple gold bracelet (perfect perfect perfect).

At present, Lilith felt rather than heard a thin sheen of hairspray landing on her head. “This brand is much more environmentally friendly than your typical pharmacy fare,” Diane was saying, “I bought it from an organic market downtown-”

Lilith felt thin, graceful fingers begin fluffing her hair and unconsciously curled her toes within the kitten heels Diane had insisted that she wear. The pleasure was immediate. She was always so gentle, so soothing, with her fingers. Lilith imagined that that careful attention probably extended to her lovers as well, but quickly shut down that line of thought. Not now.

Guiltily, she realized that the sensations had kept her from responding to the other woman’s words. Lilith briefly closed her eyes, then, she brought herself back to Earth and asked a prying question about Diane’s favorite cafe. This sent Diane into delightful chatter about the latest vegan coffee shop that had opened recently, with an insistence that they should have lunch there next week. Lilith agreed, and commented that once she went to her car, she would retrieve her day planner and see when she was free.

Diane moved around the couch, now finished with Lilith’s hair. She sat primly next to Lilith and exhaled. “There, all done. Now, do you want me to do the makeup? I understand that it’s not your favorite-”

“Do you want to do my makeup? I am quite hopeless in that department, I’m afraid.” Lilith resisted the urge to bite her lip. Besides being a hopeless one, this infatuation of hers made her uncharacteristically in search of approval. _Let me be good. Let me be beautiful. Let me command her attention. Let me be hers._

Diane pursed her lips thoughtfully for a moment, then smiled, sunny and wide. Lilith was suddenly thankful that her version of a blush wasn’t perceptible to most people.

“We’ll leave you bare faced today,” Diane declared. “You’ll rival other pale goddesses… Hemera and Nyx.”

Lilith felt her lips curve upwards, just a bit. Leave it to Diane to make her grin like a fool. “Are you aware of the mythologies of those two goddesses?”

Diane laughed, light and joyous. _Perfect._ “It’s more about the aesthetic concept,” she admonished gently. She turned and laid a gentle hand on Lilith’s lower back. Lilith felt her heart lurch into her throat. _What was she doing?_

Before she knew it, she felt Diane’s feather light kiss on her left cheek. Diane kissed people constantly - friends, coworkers, classmates - but she had never kissed Lilith, only air kisses and brief hugs. She seemed to understand the other woman’s need for space, although she couldn’t possibly comprehend the real reason why. 

Diane pulled back, slowly. She was no longer smiling. Her expression was… chagrined. “Lilith, I apologize. I know you’re not one for physical affection-”

“No, it’s,” Lilith choked out, attempting to speak around the hopeful lump in her throat. “I actually like when you-”

Diane touched her chin lightly, tipping her face upwards. “I imagine I’ll like it too,” she murmured, and softly kissed Lilith.

Lilith felt her own soft gasp and mentally admonished herself, even as she clumsily leaned forward, grabbing a fistful of Diane’s summer dress at the waist, wrinkling the fabric. _Good lord. She probably thinks you’re a novice. Try something other than pawing at her like a schoolboy._

She gently sucked Diane’s bottom lip into her own mouth, tasting tea and cookies and a lingering breath mint. Diane exhaled and smoothed her right hand up and down Lilith’s back. The touch was feather light, but warm. Comforting.

Lilith was the first to pull away, gasping and shaking. Diane enveloped her in her arms, stroking her hair, toying with the ringlets.

“You’ve wanted to do that for a long time, haven’t you?” Diane asked. Her voice now carried a slight rasp, and Lilith suddenly realized that she was trembling. _Well. That wasn’t surprising._

“Yes.”

Diane gently moved her arms, turning Lilith’s torso to face her. Lilith heard the words “about time” and “relationship”, but couldn’t quite make out the rest of Diane’s sentences over the loud humming at the back of her skull. Still, though, she felt those graceful fingers lightly scratching her shoulder, and saw the sunlight streaming in through the crack in between the drapes. The light framed Diane’s blonde hair, creating a soft halo effect around her head, illuminating her flushed smile. The very idea that Lilith was the goddess in this apartment was laughable.

Lilith coughed. “I apologize, Diane. What did you say?”

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! drop a kudos or comment if you liked it! xoxo


End file.
